Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, but I do own Star. My twin owns Tori.
Now on to the story!
With huge effort, the Protector managed to shake the electricity from her body. Sweating, she staggered to her feet with the ID card held in her hand. "Deadly to humans, maybe." She plunged it into the chest of the Slitheen. Both Joseph and the Slitheen howled with pain.
~8~
Margaret, also covered in the electricity. Star dropped the shield, panting. Rose grabbed hers and Harriet's hands and they ran from the room, Indra just behind them. Harriet was whimpering slightly, Rose just looking terrified.
~8~
The Protector found security all gathered in reception. "Oi!" She called. "You want aliens, you've got them. They're inside Downing Street." She clapped her hands. "Come on!" She lead them in the direction of the conference room, their guns at the ready.
~8~
Star, Rose, Harriet and Indra run down a corridor. "No, wait!" Harriet cried out. They stopped. "They're still in there! The emergency protocols! We need them!" She ran back in the direction of the cabinet room. Rose followed her, but they were quickly forced to change direction as Margaret Slitheen came their way. Star squeaked as Rose grabbed her hand, pulling her along. She nearly tripped and fell, but managed to stay upright. They ran across a hallway, Rose closing the door behind them. Margaret simply leapt through it.
They arrived back in another room, shutting the door behind them.
~8~
The Protector lead security into the meeting room, where Joseph was making the finishing touches to Asquith's skin suit. They both stopped when they see the Protector and security standing there. "Where've you been?" Security started checking the bodies for any sign of life. "I called for help, I sounded the alarm. There was this... lightening! This kind of er... um... electricity, and they all collapsed!"
"I think they're all dead," Sergeant Price informed.
"That's what I'm saying. She did it!" Joseph pointed at the Protector. "That woman there!"
"I think you will find the Prime Minister is an alien in disguise," the Protector told them Joseph folded his arms skeptically. The Protector looked at the policeman next to her. "That's never going to work, is it?"
"Nope."
"Fair enough." She grinned and ran for it.
~8~
Security were hot on the Protector's tail, and she soon found herself surrounded. She put r hands in the air, grinning. "Under the jurisdiction of the Emergency Protocols, I authorize you to execute this man!" Asquith ordered. Security readied their guns.
"Uh, well, now, yes," the Protector nodded. "You see, eh... the thing is... if I was you, if I was going to execute someone by backing them against the wall, between you and me, little word of advice..." the lift behind her pinged open. "Don't stand them against the lift!" She backed into the lift and closed the door with her sonic screwdriver.
~8~
Rose kneed a locked door as the Slitheen chased them. The lift pinged open, revealing the Protector. Margaret roared at her, and she smiled and nodded around at them all. "Hello!"
The doors shut again, distracting Margaret long enough for Rose, Star, Indra and Harriet to slip away un-noticed.
They found themselves in a room where all the doors were locked, a dead end. "Hide!" Rose hissed.
Harriet slid behind a cabinet with Indra. Star opened the doors of a small cabinet and grinned at Rose as she slid inside it. The blonde shut the door and crouched down in front of the small cabinet.
~8~
The lift pinged and the Protector stepped out on the second floor. She needed to find Star. Opening her mind again, she called out. 'Kara?'
'Hi! Can't really talk, hiding in a cupboard. It's really uncomfortable.'
The Protector laughed at Star's complaints. 'Stay there, I'm on my way.'
~8~
Margaret Slitheen entered. "Oh, such fun! Little human children... where are you? Sweet little humeykins... come to me... let me kiss you better..." Rose bolted from her hiding place behind the cabinet to take refuge behind the curtain. "...kiss you with my big, green lips." She hissed.
~8~
The Protector ran down a flight of stairs, hearing the Sergeant barking orders in the distance. Then she heard the lift ping, and hastily backtracked and hid in a crevice next to the door. The two Slitheen walked past. "We'll keep this floor quarantined as our last hunting ground before the final phase," Joseoh was saying. The Protector waited until they were out of sight.
~8~
The two Slitheen, Joseph and Asquith joined Margaret. "My brothers," she greeted.
"Happy hunting?" Joseph asked.
"It's wonderful. The more you prolong it, the more they stink."
"Sweat... and fear," Asquith agreed, Harriet's mouth dropping open with horror.
"I can smell an old girl... stale bird... brittle bones. A boy...not fresh, not brittle either."
"And two ripe youngsters. All hormones and adrenaline. Fresh enough to bend before they snap." Margaret swept the curtain aside revealing Rose, who screamed. Harriet jumped out from her hiding place.
"No! Take me first! Take me!" Star pushed open the cabinet door and rolled out, ducking through Joseph's legs as the Protector crashed in and blasted a fire extinguisher in the Slitheen's faces.
"Out! With me!" Rose pulled the curtains down over Margaret's head and then both she, Indra and Harriet ran to stand behind the Protector. Star joined them, clutching Rose's hand. The Protector looked at Harriet and Indra. "Who the hell are you?"
"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North."
"Indra. Secretary."
"Nice to meet you," the Protector grinned.
"Likewise."
The Protector blasted the fire extinguisher again. Then they ran for it. "We need to get to the cabinet rooms!"
"The Emergency Protocols are in there!" Harriet remembered. "They give instructions on aliens!"
"Harriet Jones, I like you," the Protector beamed.
"And I like you too."
The Protector bypassed a locked door with her sonic screwdriver and the Slitheen pursued them all the way back to the cabinet room.
They had no time to close the door, so instead the Protector picked up a bottle of brandy and held her sonic screwdriver to it. "One more move and my sonic device will triplicate the flammability of this alcohol," she toled them. "Whoof! We all go up. So back off." The Slitheen hesitated. "Right then. Question time. Who exactly are the Slitheen?"
"They're alien," Harriet pointed out.
"Yes. I got that, thanks," the Protector rolled her eyes.
"Who are you, if not human?" Joseph asked.
"Who's not human?" Indra asked.
"They're not human," Rose gestured to Star and the Protector.
"They're not human?" Harriet repeated in shock.
"Can I have a bit of hush?"
"Sorry," Harriet mumbled.
"So, what's the plan?"
"But she's got a Northern accent," Indra noted.
"Lots of planets have a North," Rose shrugged.
"I said hush. Come on!" She held the brandy threateningly out in front of her. "You've got a spaceship hidden in the North Sea. It's transmitting a signal. You've murdered your way to the top of government, what for? Invasion?"
"Why would we invade this God forsaken rock?" Asquith snorted.
"Then something's brought the Slitheen race here, what is it?" Star asked.
"The Slitheen race?" Asquith questioned.
"Slitheen is not our species," Joseph denied. "Slitheen is our surname. Jocrassa Fel Fotch Pasameer Day Slitheen at your service."
"So, you're family," Star breathed.
"It's a family business."
"Then you're out to make a profit. How can you do that on a "God forsaken rock"?" The Protector raised her eyebrows.
"Ahhh... excuse me? Your device will do what? Triplicate the flammability...?" Asquith asked.
"Is that what I said?" The Protector muttered to Star, who nodded.
"You're making it up!" Asquith realised.
"Ah, well! Nice try. Harriet, have a drink. I think you're gonna need it." She offered her the brandy.
"Pass it to the left first," Harriet corrected.
"Sorry." She handed it to Rose.
"Thanks."
"Now we can end this hunt... with a slaughter." Asquith flexed his claws menacingly. The Protector folded her arms.
"Don't you think we should run?" Rose asked as the Slitheen shuffled forward.
"Fascinating history, Downing Street," the Protector commented. "Star? Wanna take this one?"
The little girl nodded eagerly. "Two thousand years ago, this was marsh land. 1730, it was occupied by a Mr. Chicken. He was a nice man. I liked him. 1796, this was the cabinet room - if the cabinet's in session and in danger, these are about the four safest walls in the whole of Great Britain."
The Protector pressed a switch near the door. "End of lesson." Every entrance to the room was immediately blocked by metal shutters. The Protector turned to Rose, Indra and Harriet. "Installed in 1991. Three inches of steel lining every single wall. They'll never get in."
"And how do we get out?" Rose asked.
There was a pause.
"Ah."
~8~
"Right, what have we got?" The Protector asked. "Any terminals? Anything?"
Rose shook her head. "No. The place is antique. What I don't get, is when they killed the Prime Minister, why didn't they use him as a disguise?"
"I think he's too slim," Star said.
"You're right," the Protector nodded. "They're big old beasts, they need to fit inside big humans."
"But the Slitheen are about 8 feet, how do they squeeze inside?" Rose asked.
"That's the device around their necks, compression field, literally shrinks them down a bit. That's why there's all that gas, it's a big exchange."
"Wish I had a compression field," Rose muttered. "I could fit a size smaller."
Star giggled slightly.
"Excuse me, people are dead," Harriet glared at her. "This is not the time for making jokes."
"Sorry... you get used to this stuff when you're friends with her." She indicated the Protector, who was busy scanning the walls with her sonic screwdriver.
"Well, that's a strange friendship."
"Harriet Jones," the Protector mused. "I've heard that name before, Harriet Jones. You're not famous for anything, are you?"
"Huh! Hardly."
"Rings a bell, Harriet Jones..." she looked as though she were struggling to remember something. 'Any idea Liss?'
Star beamed at her and nodded. 'Yup!'
'You're not going to tell me, are you?'
'Nope,' Star grinned, popping the 'p'.
"Lifelong back bencher I'm afraid," Harriet unknowingly cut into the mental conversation. "And a fat lot of use I'm being now, the protocols are redundant, they list the people who can help and they're all dead downstairs."
"Hasn't it got like, defence codes and things?" Rose asked.
"Mummy, can we launch a nuclear bomb at them?" Star asked, moving to sit on the table swinging her legs, completely serious. It was unnerving actually. She looked very innocent, but was asking about launching a bomb at them.
Harriet stared at her. "You're a very violent little girl..."
"I'm serious!" Star pouted. "Can we?"
"Well, there's nothing like that in here," Indra piped up, having been very quiet for a while. "Nuclear strikes do need a release code, yes, but it's kept secret by the United Nations." The Protector stopped scanning the mantelpiece with her sonic screwdriver to listen.
"Say that again," she ordered.
"What, about the codes?"
"Anything. All of it."
"Um, well... the British Isles can't gain access to atomic weapons without a special resolution from the UN," he said nervously.
"Like that's ever stopped them," Rose scoffed.
"Exactly, given our past record, and I voted against that, thank you very much," Harriet said. "The codes have been taken out of the governments hands and given to the UN." The Protector was deep in thought. "Is it important?"
"Everything's important," Star told her.
"If we only knew what the Slitheen wanted. Listen to me, I'm saying "Slitheen" as if it's normal." She shook her head.
"What do they want, though?"
"Well, it's just one family so it's not an invasion," the Protector decided.
"They don't want Slitheen world... they're out to make money," Star added.
"Which means they want to use something, something here on Earth... some kind of asset."
"Like what?" Harriet asked. "Gold? Oil? Water?"
"You're very good at this," the Protector complimented.
"Thank you."
"Harriet Jones, why do I know that name?" The Protector looked at Star who was smiling innocently. 'You're still not going to tell me, are you?'
'Nope.'
'Please?'
'No Mummy.'
Rose's phone went off, loud in the quiet room. "Oh! That's me." She took her phone out of her pocket.
"But we're sealed off," Indra looked at her. "How did you get a signal?"
"She zapped it!" Rose gestured at the Protector. "Super-phone."
"Then we can phone for help!" Harriet exclaimed. "You must have contacts."
"Dead downstairs, yeah." The Protector nodded.
"It's Mickey," Rose called.
"Oh, tell your stupid boyfriend we're busy," the Protector rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, he's not so stupid after all." She handed the Protector her phone. Mickey had sent her the photo of a Slitheen in Jackie's kitchen.
~8~
Rose was on the phone to Mickey. "No, no, no, no, no, not just alien, but like, proper alien." Star rolled her eyes. "All stinking, and wet, and disgusting. And more to the point, it wanted to kill us!"
"I could've died!"
"Is she alright, though?" Rose asked. "Don't put her on, just tell me."
The Protector snatched the phone from her. "Is that Ricky? Don't talk, just shut up and go to your computer."
"It's Mickey," Mickey retorted. "And why should I?"
"Mickey the Idiot, I might just choke before I finish this sentence, but eh, I need you."
"You didn't choke," Star noted as Rose smiled.
"No, I didn't," the Protector smiled.
"It says password."
The Protector put the mobile on speakerphone. "Say again."
"It's asking for the password," Mickey told her.
"Buffalo," Star answered. "Two Fs, one L."
"So, what's that website?" They heard Jackie ask.
"All the secret information known to mankind. See, they've known about aliens for years, they just kept us in the dark."
"Mickey, you were born in the dark," the Protector rolled her eyes.
"Oh, leave him alone," Rose sighed.
"Thank you. Password again."
"Just repeat it, every time." The Protector told him. "Big Ben, why did the Slitheen hit Big Ben?"
"You said to gather the experts, to kill them," Harriet remembered.
"That lot would've gathered for a weather balloon," the Protector shook her head. "You don't need to crash land in the middle of London."
"The Slitheen were hiding, and then they put the entire planet on red alert, what would they do that for?" Rose spoke up.
"Oh, listen to her." Jackie muttered.
"At least I'm trying!"
"Well, I've got a question if you don't mind. Because since that woman walked into our lives, I have been attacked in the streets. I have had creatures from the pits of hell in my own living room, and my daughter's disappeared off the face of the Earth."
"I told you what happened," Rose protested.
"I'm talking to her. 'Cause I've seen this life of yours, Protector. And maybe you get off on it. And maybe you think it's all clever and smart, but you tell me. Just answer me this - is my daughter safe?" The Protector stared intently at the phone.
"I'm fine."
"Is she safe? Better yet - is your daughter safe? Will they always be safe? Can you promise me that?" The Protector glanced up at Rose, who looked back at him. They stared at each other. "Well, what's the answer?"
"No," Star finally answered. They all looked at her. "We're not completely safe. But Mrs Tyler, Earth isn't safe either. There's just as much chance of Rose getting hurt or killed on Earth as there is travelling with Mummy. Every day someone is killed. Hit by a car, falling down the stairs, murder, drugs. It's not safe and Rose knows that. But there is one thing you can be sure of when she's travelling with us. It's that Mummy will always do her best to protect her. There's a reason her name is the Protector."
There was silence as Rose pulled Star into a one armed hug. Then Mickey spoke, breaking the moment.
"We're in."
The Protector rushed around the table. "Right then, on the left, there's a tab, an icon, little concentric circles. Click on that," she ordered.
"What is it?"
"The Slitheen have got a spaceship in the North Sea and it's transmitting that signal," the Protector explained. "Now hush, let me work out what it's saying. It's some sort of message."
"What's it say?" Rose questioned.
"Don't know, it's on a loop, keeps repeating." Mickey's doorbell rang. "Hush!"
"That's not me," Mickey said. "Go and see who that is."
"It's three o'clock in the morning," Jackie complained.
"Well go and tell them that."
Star sniggered at the conversation then yawned deeply. Rose wrapped an arm round her.
"It's beaming out into space, who's it for?" The Protector asked.
"It's him!" Jackie screamed over the phone. "It's the thing, it's the Slickeen!"
"They've found us."
Star's hands flew to cover her mouth. "Get out!" She shouted. "Get out!"
"We can't," Mickey said after a moment, his voice shaking. "It's by the front door. Oh, my God. It's unmasking. It's gonna kill us."
Closing her eyes, Star buried her head in a stricken Rose's waist. "There's got to be some way of stopping them!" Harriet cried. "You're supposed to be the expert, think of something!"
"I'm trying!"
"I'll take it on, Jackie," they heard Mickey say. "You just run. Don't look back. Just run."
Down the phone, they heard the Slitheen smashing the door in. "That's my mother," Rose whispered in horror.
"Right!" The Protector stood straight. "If we're going to find their weakness, we need to find out where they're from - which planet. So, judging by their face and shape, that narrows it down to five thousand planets within travelling distance. What else do we know about them? Information!"
"They're green," Rose supplied.
"Yep, narrows it down." Star was nodding along.
"Uh, good sense of smell," Indra put in.
"Narrows it down."
"They can smell adrenaline."
"Narrows it down."
Star's eyes widened as the others continued giving small tidbits of information. She went over the information as quickly as she could, then looked to the Protector who was looking lost. She heard Mickey yelling and a lightbulb went off in her brain. "Mummy!" They all looked over at her. "Calcium phosphate, organic calcium, living calcium, creatures made out of living calcium, hyphenated name." The Protector had a focused look on her face before she grinned.
"Raxacoricofallapatorius!"
"Raxacoricofallapatorius!" Star repeated.
"Oh you brilliant girl!" The Protector pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Oh, yeah, great," Mickey said sarcastically. "We could write 'em a letter."
"Get into the kitchen!" The Protector ordered.
"My God, it's going to rip us apart!" Jackie panicked after a while.
"Calcium, recombined with compression field, ascetic acid," the Protector rambled.
"Vinegar!" Star shouted.
"Just like Hannibal!" Harriet realised.
"Just like Hannibal," the Protector agreed. "Mickey, have you got any vinegar?"
"How should I know?" He retorted.
"It's your kitchen," the Protector said in a 'duh' tone.
"Cupboard by the sink, middle shelf," Rose cut in
"Give it here, what do you need?" Jackie asked.
"Anything with vinegar!"
"Gherkins!" Star made a face of disgust. "Yeah! Pickled onions!" Star 'eww'ed. "Pickled eggs!"
"You kiss this man?" The Protector raised her eyebrows at Rose.
They heard the door break down over the phone, a few seconds of silence, then a loud 'splat'.
Having heard the bang, the Protector, Rose, Indra and Harriet all breathed a sigh of relief. Star grinned.
"Hannibal?" Rose asked.
"Hannibal crossed the Alps by dissolving boulders with vinegar." Harriet explained.
"Oh. Well, there you go then." They raised their glasses in toast, and drunk. "Phew!"
Star yawned, stretching out her arms. The Protector chuckled, putting down her drink and lifted Star up. "Go to sleep," she said gently, putting Star down on a chair. The brunette curled up, her hair falling across her face. "Love you."
"Love you more." Star closed her eyes, the talking fading around her until she was asleep.
The Protector moved back over to join Rose, listening to Mickey speak.
"Listen to this."
"Our inspectors have searched the sky above our heads and they have found massive weapons of destruction, capable of being deployed within 45 seconds," Joseph was saying, clearly on TV.
Frowning the Protector, Rose, Indra and Harriet crowded around the phone, listening to him. "What?"
"Our technicians can, baffle, the alien probes;" Joseph continued. "But not for long. We are facing extinction. Unless we strike first. The United Kingdom stands directly beneath the belly of the mother ship. I beg the United Nations - pass an emergency resolution. Give us the access codes! A nuclear strike at the heart of the ship is our only chance of survival. Because... from this moment on... it is my solemn duty to inform you... planet Earth is at war."
"He's making it up," the Protector spat. "There's no weapons up there, there's no threat. He just invented it."
"Do you think they'll believe him?" Indra asked worried.
"They did last time," Rose noted.
"That's why the Slitheen went for spectacle," the Protector realised. "They want the whole world panicking, because you lot, you get scared, you lash out."
"They release the defence codes..." Rose began.
"And the Slitheen go nuclear," the Protector finished grimly.
"But why?"
The Protector strode over and opened the metal shutters. The Slitheen were still standing outside the door. "You get the codes, release the missiles. But not into space because there's nothing there. You attack every other country on Earth, they retaliate, fight back. World War Three, whole planet gets nuked." Margaret Slitheen, still in her skin suit, stood before the Protector.
"And we can sit through it in our spaceship waiting in the Thames," Margaret said gleefully. "Not crashed. Just parked. They'll be two minutes away."
"But you'll destroy the planet," Harriet gasped. "This beautiful place. What for?"
"Profit," the Protector deadpanned. "That's what the signal is beaming into space, an advert."
"Sale of the century. We reduce the Earth to molten slag, then sell it. Piece by piece. Radioactive chucks capable of powering every cut-price star liner and budget cargo ship. There's a recession out there, Protector. People are buying cheap. This rock becomes raw fuel."
"At the cost of 5 billion lives," the Protector said disgusted.
"Bargain," Margaret shrugged.
"Then I give you the choice: leave this planet or I'll stop you."
The Slitheen all burst out laughing. "What?" Margaret cackled. "You? Trapped in your box?"
The Protector did not look remotely abashed. She stared her out. "Yes. Me."
Margaret laughed again, but nervously. The Protector fixed her in his gaze and closed the shutters. The smirk faded from Margaret's face.
~8~
"Alright, Protector," Jackie said over the phone. "I'm not saying I trust you, but there must be something you can do.
"If we ferment the porch, we could make ascetic acid," Harriet suggested.
"Mickey, any luck?" Rose asked.
"There's loads of emergency numbers, they're all on voicemail."
The Protector was standing quietly with her arms folded, leaning against the wall away from the other three. She was deep in thought.
"Voicemail dooms us all," Harriet half joked, half sighed.
"If we could just get out of here..."
"There's a way out," the Protector cut in darkly.
"What?" Rose turned to face her incredulously.
"There's always been a way out."
"Then why don't we use it?" The blonde asked.
The Protector strode over to the table and leant over to speak into the phone. "Because I can't guarantee your daughter will be safe." She said into the phone. "And I can't guarantee that mine will either."
"Don't you dare," Jackie said immediately. "Whatever it is, don't you dare."
"That's the thing, if I don't dare, everyone dies," the Protector sighed.
"Do it."
The Protector looked up at Rose. "You don't even know what it is, you'd just let me?"
"Yeah," Rose said simply.
The Protector stared at her. "Please, Protector. Please! She's my daughter, she's just a kid!"
"So is mine!" The Protector argued. "This is my life, Jackie, it's not fun, it's not smart, it's just standing up and making a decision because nobody else will."
"Then what're you waiting for?"
They all turned to look at Star, who was sitting up, staring at them intently.
"I could save the world but lose you," the Protector whispered. She looked at Rose. "Both of you." They stared intensely into each others eyes for a long moment until Rose averted her gaze with a shy smile.
"Except it's not your decision, Protector," Harriet cut in. "It's mine."
"And who the hell are you?"
"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North," Harriet recited, Star giggling. "The only elected representative in this room, chosen by the people, for the people, and on behalf of the people I command you. Do it."
The Protector looked back at Rose and grinned. Rose jumped onto the table. "How do we get out?"
The Protector opened the briefcase containing the emergency protocols. "We don't. We stay here." She opened the emergency protocols. She shuffled through the protocols and then turned to address Mickey. "Use the buffalo password, it overrides everything."
"What're you doing?" Jackie asked.
"Hacking into the Royal Navy," Mickey spoke with a tone of disbelief. After a moment he spoke again. "We're in. Here it is, uh... H.M.S. Taurean, Trafalgar Class Submarine, 10 miles off the coast of Plymouth."
"Right, we need to select a missile," the Protector said, ruffling Star's hair when she grinned.
"We can't go nuclear, we don't have the defence codes."
"We don't need it, all we need is an ordinary missile," the Protector told him. "What's the first category?"
"Sub Haffoon, UGMA4A."
"That's the one. Select."
"I could stop you." They heard Jackie say.
"Do it, then."
There was a moment of tense silence.
"Ready for this?" The Protector asked, breaking it.
The silence continued for a few more seconds before Mickey spoke. "Yeah."
"Mickey the Idiot," Star grinned. "The world is in your hands. Fire."
"Oh, my God," Jackie breathed a moment later.
Indra tapped the steel shutters. "How solid are these?"
"Not solid enough," Star shook her head. "Built for short range attack, nothing this big."
"Alright. Now I'm making the decision. I'm not gonna die, we're gonna ride this one out." Rose opened the cupboard door. "It's like what they say about earthquakes, you can survive 'em by standing under a doorframe. Now this cupboard's small so it's strong. Come and help me! Come on!" Harriet and Indra hurried to help her.
"It's on radar," Mickey reported. "Counter defence 556."
"Stop them intercepting it."
"I'm doing it now."
"Good boy."
"556 neutralized."
The Protector ripped the mobile off speaker phone.
~8~
Star, Rose, the Protector, Indra and Harriet bundled into the cupboard. The crouched in a corner, Rose and Harriet either side of the Protector who was holding Star tightly, the girl curled into her. Indra crouched in a different corner.
"Nice knowing you both." Harriet beamed. Rose grabbed the Protector's hand. "Hannibal!" They braced themselves.
The missile hit. The whole of 10 Downing Street exploded in flames. The Protector, Star, Rose, Indra and Harriet were all severely shaken around in their cupboard. Then it stopped.
~8~
The place was in ruins, smoking. Then, the Protector, Star, Rose, Indra and Harriet emerged from the wreckage. The Protector lifted Star up onto her hip, brushing her hair back. Harriet looked around. "Made in Britain."
The Sergeant hurried over to them. "Are you alright?"
Harriet flashed her ID card at him, making Star giggle. "Harriet Jones. MP, Flydale North. I want you to contact UN immediately, tell the ambassadors the crisis is over and they can step down. Go on, tell the news!"
"Yes, ma'am." He hurried away again.
"Someone's got a hell of a job sorting this lot out," Indra commented.
"Oh, Lord! We haven't even got a Prime Minister!" Harriet exclaimed.
"Well, maybe you should have a go," the Protector smiled.
"Me?" She laughed. "I'm only a back-bencher."
"I'd vote for ya!"
"So would I," Indra nodded.
"Now, don't be silly." Rose and the Protector grinned. "Look, I'd better go and see if I can help."
"I'd better go with her." They climbed over the rubble towards the crowd of people. The Protector beamed at Rose.
"Hang on!" Harriet began shouting over to the crowd. "The Earth is safe! Sergeant!"
The Protector ruffled Star's hair and began walking with Rose. "I thought I knew the name," the Protector said, watching her hurry over to the cameras and ambulances. "Harriet Jones, future Prime Minister. Elected for three successive terms, the architect of Britain's Golden Age."
"I kenw you'd get it eventually!" Star beamed as her mother put her down.
"The crisis has passed! Ladies and Gentlemen, I have something to say to you all!" Star, Rose and the Protector watched her fondly from a distance. Then they turned and walked away. Harriet spoke to the camera. "Mankind stands tall, proud, and undefeated. God bless the human race." She beamed around at them all.
~8~
Rose entered her flat, and was greeted with a huge hug from a relieved Jackie. They both closed their eyes, happy to be together again.
~8~
The Protector entered the TARDIS, looking very pleased with herself. Star followed as she started the engines and grinned up at it.
~8~
Rose was sitting on the chair in front of the TV, watching a repeat of Harriet Jones' speech. "Mankind stands tall, proud."
Jackie walked in. "Harriet Jones. Who does she think she is? Look at her! Taking all the credit. Should be you on there." She addressed the TV. "My daughter saved the world!"
"I think Tori and Star helped a bit..." Rose grinned.
Jackie sat down. "Oh, alright then. Them too. You should be given knighthoods."
"That's not the way they do things. No fuss, they just... move on. Tori's not that bad if you give her a chance."
"She's good in a crisis, I'll give her that," Jackie shrugged.
"Oh! Now the world has changed, you're saying nice things about her," Rose joked.
"Well, I reckon I've got no choice! There's no getting rid of her since you're infatuated."
"I'm not infatuated," Rose rolled her eyes. "She's like...like this sister I've never had."
"What do they eat?"
Rose blinked, surprised by the change in subject. "How do you mean?"
"I was gonna do shepherds pie." Rose sniggered. "All of us. A proper sit down. 'Cause... I'm ready to listen. I wanna learn about you and them and that life you lead. Only, I dunno, they're aliens. For all I know, they eat grass and safety pins and things."
"They'll have shepherd pie. You're gonna cook for Tori?"
"What's wrong with that?" Jackie asked defensively.
"She's finally met her match."
"You're not too old for a slap, you know." Rose giggled as Jackie got up and went to the kitchen. "You can go and visit your gran tomorrow." Rose's mobile rang. "You'd better learn some French. I told her you were in France. I said you were au-pairing."
The caller ID on the screen of Rose's mobile read 'TARDIS calling' complete with a little TARDIS icon. Rose answered. "Hello?"
~8~
"Aunt Rose!" Star beamed, then pouted when the Protector plucked the phone from her hand.
"Right, I'll be a couple of hours, then we can go."
"You've got a phone?" Rose asked incredulously.
"You think I can travel through space and time and I haven't got a phone?" The Protector said contemptuously while Star burst into giggles. "Like I said, couple of hours... I've just got to send out this dispersal..." she pressed a button. "There you go. That's cancelling out the Slitheen's advert in case any bargain hunters turn up."
"My mother's cooking."
"Good! Put her on a slow heat and let her simmer." Star giggled again, swinging her legs as shs sat on the console.
"She's cooking tea. For us."
"I don't do that."
"She wants to get to know you."
"Tough! I've got better things to do!"
"It's just tea."
"Not to me it isn't."
"She's my mother."
"Well, she's not mine!" The Protector looked rather pleased about that.
"That's not fair!"
"Well, you can stay there if you want!" There was a paused. "But right now there's this plasma storm brewing in the horse head nebula. Fires are burning 10 million miles wide. I could fly the TARDIS right into the heart of it then ride the shock wave all the way out - hurtle right across the sky and end up anywhere. Your choice." She hung up.
~8~
Rose ended the call slowly and pressed the phone to her lips, deep in thought.
~8~
The Protector paused for a second and then went back to the console, kissing Star's forehead.
~8~
Jackie went back into the living room with two cups of tea. "Rose, I was thinking..." she trailed off when she noticed that Rose's seat was empty, so Jackie walked in the direction of Rose's bedroom instead. "I've got that bottle of Amaretto from New Years Eve, does she drink?" She opened the door to Rose's bedroom. Rose was stuffing some clothes into a bag. Jackie watched her. "I was wondering whether she drinks or not."
"Yeah, Tori does." She continued stuffing the clothes into the bag.
"Don't go, sweetheart," Jackie saod quietly. Rose stopped for a moment and looked around at her. "Please don't go." Guiltily, Rose continued to pack.
~8~
It was night time. Mickey was sitting reading a newspaper on a bin outside the TARDIS. The small boy who graffiti'd the TARDIS the previous day was busy cleaning it off again. The Protector poked her head around the door. "Good lad. Graffiti that again and I'll 'ave ya. Now, beat it." The little boy scurried off. The Protector grinned. Mickey glanced after him. The Protector walked over to Mickey.
"I just went down the shop. And I was thinking, you know, like the whole world's changed. Aliens and spaceships all in public. And here it is." He showed the Protector the front page of the newspaper, headlined "Alien Hoax?". The Protector gave a small smile. "How could they do that? They saw it!"
"They're just not ready," the Protector shrugged. "You're happy to believe in something that's invisible, but if it's staring you in the face, nope! Can't see it! There's a scientific explanation for that. You're thick."
Mickey laughed. "We're just idiots."
"Well, not all of you."
"Yeah?"
"Present for you, Mickey." She handed Mickey a disc. "That's a virus. Put it online, it'll destroy every mention of me. I'll cease to exist."
"What do you want to do that for?"
"'Cos you're right. I am dangerous. I don't want anybody following me." Jackie and Rose emerged from the flats.
"How can you say that, and then take her with you?" He gestured to Rose.
"You could look after her. Come with us," the Protector offered.
"I can't. This life of yours... it's just too much, I... I couldn't do it. Don't tell her I said that."
"I'll get a proper job. I'll work weekends, I'll pass my test and if Jim comes round again, I'll say no. I really will."
"I'm not leaving 'cos of you," Rose shook her head. "I'm travelling, that's all. And then I'll come back!"
"But it's not safe."
"Mum... if you saw it out there... you'd never stay home." She turned to the Protector, taking her backpack off her shoulders.
"Got enough stuff?" She asked sarcastically.
"Last time I stepped in there, it was spur of the moment." Rose threw the enormous bag into the Protector's arms. "Now I'm signing up. You're stuck with me. Haha." She went up to Mickey while Jackie looked the Protector up and down. "Come with us. There's plenty of room."
Mickey gestured to the Protector. "No chance, he's ah, a liability, I'm not having him on board." She winked subtly at him.
"We'd be dead without him."
"My decision is final."
Rose turned back to Mickey. "Sorry." They kissed briefly. Mickey gave a small wave as she backed away.
"Good luck, then."
"You still can't promise me," Jackue rounded on the Protector. "What if she gets lost? What if something happens to you, Protector, and she's left all alone standing on some moon a million light years away - how long do I wait then?"
The Protector stood there hugging Rose's backpack, not really having an answer, but Rose came to his rescue. "Mum..." Jackie spun around to face Rose. "You're forgetting, it's a time machine. I could go travelling around suns and planets and all the way out to the edge of the universe and by the time I get back, yeah, ten seconds would have passed. Just ten seconds." She put her hands on Jackie's shoulders and smiled kindly. "So stop worrying. See you in ten seconds time. Hmm?"
A little girl poked her head out, saw Rose, squealed and ran to hug her. "Can we go swimming later?" Star asked excitedly.
Rose nodded a grin of pure joy on her face as she lifted Star up. "Sure we can sweetie. Let me just say bye to my mum." Star nodded eagerly. Rose kissed her on the forehead and set her on the floor. She ran back inside.
"You're not going because of just the travelling," Jackie said quietly as she hugged Rose. "It's because of her. That little girl."
"Always."
The Protector stepped into the TARDIS. Rose pulled back, smiled and followed her. Mickey gave a small wave and Rose shut the door, leaving Mickey and Jackie alone outside.
The TARDIS dematerialised. Jackie kept her eyes on her watch as they stood in silence, then... "Ten seconds." She walked back to the flats. Mickey settled himself back on top of the dustbin with the newspaper.
A.N: Star's a little violent, wonder where she gets that bit from...looking at you Tori. She's also quicker at figuring things out than her mother, but she does have the combined smarts of both the Doctor and the Protector, as well as teachings from the TARDIS. Anyone know who Koschei is yet?
That's all folks!
